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The Royal Ballet's latest production comes from someone completely outside the ballet world: Audrey Niffeneger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife. Her latest project, Raven Girl, is going to be simultaneously released this Friday as both a graphic novel and a ballet, with choreography by The Royal's resident choreographer Wayne McGregor.

In "True Blood"'s world of vampires and werewolves, one of the last things you'd expect to find is a ballerina. But one of the breakout stars of the fifth season of the HBO show (out on DVD and Blue-Ray today) is 500-year-old faerie Maurella, played by former ballet dancer Kristina Anapau. The actress grew up in Hawaii, then trained at The Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre schools.

Nederlans Dans Theater and Jirí Kylián are taking a break from each other. From September 2014 until fall 2017, the beloved contemporary ballet company will perform no works by the choreographer who put them on the map, according to dancelines.com. It's a surprise move that's shocked fans. But the decision wasn't made because of any bad blood—it's a strategy to force the company to innovate.

Are you getting enough protein? Dancers need almost twice as much as normal people because our bodies require protein to repair the muscle fibers that get broken down in class and rehearsal. According to the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, dancers' daily diets should include about 1.4-1.6 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. That means a 120-pound dancer would need almost 80 grams a day.

Is it time your pointe shoes had a makeover? Gordon Waddington thinks so. A professor of physiotherapy at Australia’s University of Canberra, Waddington is developing an insole that will give dancers extra "grip" in their pointe shoes. It's made from textured PVC material that has a lined pattern so that it locks onto the skin. The hope is that giving dancers more control in their pointe shoes will help prevent ankle and leg injuries. Students at the Australian Ballet School are currently testing it out during their barrework over the course of an 11-week trial.

The Mariinsky Ballet's exquisite Ekaterina Kondaurova is coming to your local movie theater in 3D next month—courtesy of Avatar director James Cameron. The acclaimed filmmaker has teamed up with Mariinsky director Valery Gergiev to broadcast the first-ever live 3D ballet. Audiences across the U.S., Europe, South America, Australia and Asia will be able watch Kondaurova perform Odette/Odile in Swan Lake in real-time from St. Petersburg.

For much of dance history, male dancers were basically the forklifts of ballet, there to lift the women, and do little else. But it takes much more than a sturdy set of biceps to hack it in 2013. Today's men are given some of the most exciting choreography in the repertoire. Dancemakers are taking full advantage of that male strength, having the men perform mind-boggling turns and gravity-defying leaps.

Do you avoid eating nuts because of their high fat and calorie counts? You shouldn't! Researchers recently gathered the results of 31 trials across the world, and found that there was little difference in the weights or waist sizes of people who ate nuts and those who didn't. They believe this might be because nuts' protein, unsaturated fat and fiber all help suppress our hunger. Just don't go nut crazy—keep your servings to a small handful.

Staatsballett Berlin has a new stage: a techno club. The company is currently performing inside one of Berlin’s most popular nightclubs, Berghain. Located in the city’s ex-communist east side, the venue is known for throwing massive, sexy parties. Masse, featuring three contemporary pieces by choreographers Nadja Saidakova, Xenia Wiest and Tim Plegge, is scored by DJs who regularly play at the club.